


Borya's Advice

by madlysanecatlady



Category: Dragon Quest IV
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-24
Updated: 2017-06-24
Packaged: 2018-11-18 13:38:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11291766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madlysanecatlady/pseuds/madlysanecatlady
Summary: The tsar needs Borya's advice on how to handle his headstrong daughter.





	Borya's Advice

Borya entered the throne room cautiously, knowing full well the tsar was likely in one of his more fiery moods. And he wondered where his daughter had inherited her temper from. Borya did his best to steel himself before approaching the throne, making his presence known to the tsar, who had been gazing blankly at the wall, a sour expression on his face.

‘Borya, I thank you for coming with such haste,’ the tsar smiled stiffly at his daughter’s tutor. Not that she had had much need for a tutor lately as she ran around the world adventuring. ‘I am gripped with much uncertainty and would like to hear your opinion on the matter.’

‘I will do my best, your highness,’ Borya nodded. ‘Though in my long years in this castle I have never seen you uncertain, merely hesitant. Perhaps you merely need your decision to be validated?’

‘Borya, your wisdom will never cease to astound,’ the tsar smiled. ‘You are of course, exactly right. I would like to have your advice on a matter I fear I may have reacted too quickly to.’

‘Does this have anything to do with the tsarevna’s audience with you earlier? She left looking quite frustrated with you. Did you disallow any further travel?’ Borya knew that the tsar’s disapproval would fall upon deaf ears regardless. Alena was an extremely headstrong young woman, she would listen to no one once her mind was made up, not even her father.

‘No, I have conceded that she may embark on her next journey as she wishes, much to my own chagrin. She will be leaving in the morning.’

‘I am certain Kiryl will take great care to ensure her safety.’ Borya watched the tsar closely as his expression darkened. Borya could tell something was bothering the tsar very deeply, but he was unable to guess at what that something may be. He was a bit surprised the tsar looked so sour at the mention of Kiryl keeping his daughter safe; Kiryl had proven time and again very adept at both ensuring Alena’s continued safety and even talking her out of her more reckless ideas. Borya failed to even begin to understand the meaning of the grimace at the tsar’s lips before he opened them to speak.

‘Kiryl will not be accompanying her,’ he said quietly, the expression in his eyes a dark, closed off one. If Borya knew him at all, he could guess that the tsar was furious about something. The the words caught up with him and Borya gaped, unable to believe them.

Kiryl not accompanying Alena out on one of her many adventures was unheard of. Kiryl would sooner die than leave her alone and unprotected. He shook his head; perhaps he had misunderstood. ‘Kiryl would sooner die than allow Alena out of his sight. He takes her safety very seriously. Is he ill?’

‘No, Kiryl is in top health, but he will not be going,’ the tsar said stiffly. ‘I have asked Alena to select one of the guards to accompany her on her journey in his stead.’

Borya was at a loss. He wondered if the tsar had perhaps misunderstood Kiryl’s intention to accompany Alena. There was no way he would ever let her go without him, guard or no guard, Borya was certain of that much. He told the tsar as much.

‘The reason Kiryl will not be going is because I have asked Alena to not bring him. She has gotten some very strange ideas lately; I do not wish to encourage them by allowing her to bring him along on yet another useless journey.’

‘Strange ideas?’ Borya was completely lost here. ‘Whatever has she said to you, your highness? Kiryl is as dedicated to her as ever. There is no one more capable of keeping her safe and happy being so than he.’

‘That is part of the problem,’ the tsar intoned sourly. ‘Alena seems to be under the impression he cares for her a great deal, which may very well be true in terms of his duties to her, but she seems to think that his caring about her safety has made him the only man she deems worthy of holding place in her life, other than you and I, of course.’

Borya was truly taken aback. Long had he known how Kiryl pined for the rambunctious tsarevna, his dedication and constant worrying about her only grew over the time he and Alena travelled together. Yet Borya had never imagined Alena would ever notice this herself, let alone begin to return some of those feelings. He had always been under the impression the tsarevna had zero inclination toward the romantic; clearly he had been mistaken. He stared at the tsar, shocked. ‘Am I to take this to mean she has finally acquiesced to your request for her to find a suitable candidate for marriage?’

The tsar expression soured further. ‘There is nothing suitable about selecting her retainer simply because he is convenient to her juvenile wanderlust! It is no good for her to continue entertain such wild notions, nor will I allow her to derail this poor man’s life any further. He shows promise in his healing, pursuing this would be excellent for both him and the kingdom. Alena can be allowed to derail him no further.’

Borya frowned. It seemed the tsar was frightfully unaware of just how much Kiryl cared for his daughter. He sighed. ‘Your highness, would you like my advice?’

‘I was under the impression this was why I called for you,’ the tsar gave a wry smile. Oftentimes the old man succeeded in pulling him out of a dark or dangerous mood with his gentle demeanor and ability to obliviously state the obvious. It brought him back fondly to his own boyhood under Borya’s tutelage.

‘Have Kiryl accompany Alena. I know, you do not see it,’ Borya added firmly as the tsar opened his mouth to protest. ‘No one will have the same measure of control over Alena’s more deadly impulses, nor will any of the guards protect her so fiercely.’

‘I understand he is grateful to her for finding the cure for his illness some time ago, but what makes you think he is any more capable of protecting Alena than any of the guards, many of whomhave spend the majority of their lives in training for just such duties?’

‘Because he loves her,’ Borya said simply. ‘He has loved her always. He will continue to love her always. Kiryl is a man very sure of his own mind. Once it has been made, he will not change his mind. You needn’t worry if his devotion to your daughter is true – it is. She would be in no safer care than with him. Now, I will admit, hearing of Alena’s feelings on the matter has indeed surprised me. I had no idea she would ever come to see his feelings for him, let alone return them. Although, I will also admit, I am pleased she has. I care a great deal for both you and your daughter; her happiness is of paramount importance to me. I know Kiryl can bring her great joy in her life, he already has. I can only hope they find more together. Please, highness, see it as I have. There is no point in arguing with her, nor him. They will leave this castle together whether you wish it or not; you know how headstrong your daughter is. She will not listen to you if she does not like what she hears.’

The tsar looked pensive. He remained silent for a long beat, clearly mulling over Borya’s words. Finally, he looked up at his old tutor and confidant, an odd expression on his face. ‘You say Kiryl loves my daughter? Why would he never tell me this? I could have arranged for marriage long ago!’

Borya smiled; pleased the tsar was at least handling the news well, better than expected even. ‘Alena would have none of that talk, you know this your highness. Regardless, you know Kiryl very well, he would never step out of what he deems to be his station. He would prefer to love and protect your daughter at a distance than he would betray your trust by having these feelings be known.’

The tsar rolled his eyes. ‘That boy is so very dense. I would gladly marry her to a pauper if that meant she would finally accept a proposal from someone who could make her happy. If you say Kiryl will do so, who would I be to argue?’

Borya nodded. ‘However, I would not approach the subject of marriage so quickly with her. You know your daughter. You may very well derail the feelings she is beginning to find within her. Leave her be with them for now. Leave her to her journey; tell her she may bring him with her. No more. The rest is for them to decide.’

‘There was another reason I had forbidden her to bring Kiryl,’ the tsar said after a moment’s thought. He figured there was no harm in expressing this particular concern to Borya – he was the most trustworthy in the kingdom after all. ‘I had another of those dreams. The ones that tell me what is to come. I saw Kiryl and Alena transported to another world, far away from my protection. I cannot have this.’

Borya paused, thinking carefully. He knew the tsar was prescient. He had known since he had been a young boy under his tutelage. He knew there was likely a large amount of truth to the dream. But he wondered if perhaps the tsar had mistakenly misinterpreted it. ‘Highness, you know there are no other worlds than our own. Perhaps you have misunderstood the meaning of the dream. Perhaps it was more metaphorical than this. Perhaps you knew subconsciously how Alena and Kiryl felt and had reservations about the relationship.’

The tsar nodded, reassured. ‘You are right, Borya. I will send for Alena and tell her to bring Kiryl. Thank you as always for your wisdom.’ 

Borya nodded and excused himself, more concerned about the dream than he had allowed the tsar to see. He had been feeling that something was off for a few days now, and wondered just how literal the dream had been. He shrugged. Alena and Kiryl were both very capable. They would be fine as long as they stuck together. He pushed the tsar’s dream from his mind, figuring it could not be possible to be transported to other worlds, if there even were any. If he only knew.


End file.
